Kenzie didn't point out that Jillian was already there. Instead, she scrutinized the handwriting on the piece of paper Patrick had tossed to the ground, which contained various dates and times for an undisclosed purpose. It wasn't completely identical, but no one even signed their own name the same way twice. The similarities between the two handwriting samples were very prominent.
Still, what was Patrick's motive? What reason would he have for sending Alley threatening letters? And what about her older appearance? How could he have possibly pulled that off?
Kenzie pushed the papers away from her and decided that now was the time to hack the PI database to find out more about Patrick. Maybe his motive would be buried in his personnel files. She could only hope.
The private information of a private investigator was significantly harder to get to than the case files. This was most likely because the PIs were at a risk for identity theft, while the case files didn't hold anything that would be beneficial to anyone, unless it was the culprit trying to hide said evidence. And erasing it from the files would do no good, since evidence was stored in a warehouse or some other place and had to be signed for in order to be taken out.
At last, Kenzie gained access to the employee information of the SBI. Patrick Brookes had a pretty long file, starting with his full name, age, weight, birthday, eye and hair color, and all the basic information. It also had his current address in Hidden Springs, though where he was born wasn't available. He was listed as single with no dependents, and his headshot was to the right of the information.
There was also a section that contained distinguishable characteristics about Patrick. Kenzie knew this meant scars, birth marks, moles, beauty marks, tattoos, or anything unique about a private detective that could help to identify him or her in the event of a tragedy.
Patrick had one distinguishable characteristic - his exceptionally rare blood type, which very few people worldwide had. But unfortunately for Kenzie, this didn't help her figure out why Patrick might be the one sending Alley threatening letters.
"Maybe someone's framing him," Jillian suggested. Kenzie considered that, and admitted that it was a possibility. Just because Patrick's handwriting had been on a page that left an indentation in the threatening letters didn't mean that he actually wrote those letters. Someone could have framed him, or maybe someone else took a piece of paper from a public stack that Patrick had written on and printed the threats.
There were so many complex possibilities, and Kenzie found herself no closer to discovering who was responsible for anything happening to Alley. If only she could talk to her again. Maybe she could get some insight on Galen Finch. He was still a likely suspect, even if he was currently off the radar.
At last, Kenzie closed her laptop and went to take a shower. Somehow, she had to solve this case. Yet nothing made sense. If Patrick's handwriting indentation meant nothing, then Clara was once again a suspect.
This case was a tangled web of confusion. Alley was a celebrity. Anyone could have sent her threatening letters out of spite, or for countless other reasons. Fear, jealousy, anger, resentment, or any number of motives could provoke someone to do this.
Yet it couldn't be a coincidence that Alley received those letters and then her appearance abruptly changed into her worst fear.
Kenzie hated to admit it, but if she wanted to solve this case, she'd have to find out more information. And the only way to find that out was to ask Patrick Brookes.
But she wouldn't do that. She had her pride, and wasn't about to stoop to the level of that llama-kisser. No, she had another plan.
She had to find Galen Finch.
********************
Galen Finch. The perfect suspect for this case. He had a motive to send Alley threatening letters, and he had the knowledge to put a spell on her. Now if only Kenzie could find him. That would certainly help.
But there was no more information on him. Kenzie browsed the Web for hours trying to find out anything new, but every site said that the mysterious Galen Finch had just vanished after Alley had broken his heart. No one had seen him since.
"Just swallow your pride and be the bigger person," Jillian suggested as the two were relaxing on the couch, watching TV. "Just ask Patrick, or at least let him know you have a suspect."
"I can't do that," Kenzie declared for what had to be the twentieth time. "The guy's a total jerk and he'd just use that as an excuse to show me up. This case shouldn't be a contest, but to him, it is. He wants to solve this big high-profile case just because it's high-profile. And I'd be playing right into his hands if I gave him this information."
Kenzie sighed. She didn't want to have anything to do with that miscreant.
"You need some relaxation," Jillian said when Kenzie mentioned this. "We're still on vacation, and it's been a week already. We don't have much longer. Why don't we hit the salon or something?"
"The salon? I don't need a makeover."
"No, but the salon has that spa attached to it, remember? Why don't we go back there for a little while?"
"Well, I guess I could use a break. Okay, let's go."
So Kenzie and Jillian piled back into the Requiescence and headed for the Serenity Salon and Spa. Once there, they headed for the spa part. That is, until something caught Kenzie's eye.
"Isn't that Patrick's motorcycle?" she asked as she quickly faced Jillian and jerked her thumb in the direction of the alleged vehicle.
Jillian shifted her gaze to where Kenzie was looking, and she nodded her head. "Yeah, it looks like it. What would he be doing here?"
Kenzie didn't waste any time. She went up the stairs and looked in the salon's window. There, she saw that Patrick was talking to one of the stylists inside. He then removed his shirt to reveal an undershirt. As he made his way to a tattoo chair, Kenzie's breath caught in her throat.
For there on Patrick's left shoulder was a tattoo. A tattoo of a sword cutting through vines.
********************
"How is that even possible?" Jillian asked herself out loud as Kenzie drove them both back to the house. "Patrick has the exact same tattoo as Galen Finch? Come on, isn't that a coincidence?"
"No way. It's the same tattoo in the exact same spot. And Patrick was there at the salon, probably getting it removed. That's why it wasn't a specific characteristic on his PI page. He won't have it much longer. Plus, now that I look at the clock and this paper he threw on the ground at the bistro, the times match up. He was trying to schedule a time to get that tattoo removed. It was the last trace of him as Galen Finch."
"But how is that possible? Galen has that green-tinted skin. And he disappeared after Alley left him."
"He didn't disappear. He got a new identity. And I know how to prove it. I'm just kicking myself for not seeing the tattoo that day we were all at the pool together. I guess I wasn't really looking then."
When they arrived back at the house, Kenzie got right to work. First, she hacked the medical database to find if there was a death certificate for Galen Finch. When she found one, she checked the list of performed plastic surgeries. Sure enough, Patrick's name was there. The description of his plastic surgery was skin grafts.
"More like skin color injections," Kenzie said aloud when she shared this information with Jillian.
"So Patrick's responsible for all this?" Jillian added. "But why would he want to help Alley? She hired him to figure out what's going on, but...if he's responsible..."
"Alley's in trouble," Kenzie concluded as she leapt out of the chair. "Patrick doesn't want to help her. He wanted her to hire him so he could get close enough to her. Those threatening letters and the age thing are just the beginning. I have a hunch he's wanting to make her suffer even more."
"We have to call the cops!"
"That will tip him off if cops go to his house. Listen, let me get to Alley and warn her. When I call you, call the police and give them this address."
Kenzie handed Jillian a piece of paper with Patrick's address on it, which she'd obtained through the SBI database.
"Tell them I'm with Alley," Kenzie continued as Jillian took the paper, "and that she's in trouble. They should send backup to her place while the others go to Patrick's house."
"Just be careful. If this guy knows magic, and he's a PI, who knows what he's capable of? You call me as soon as you can."
"I will, I promise."
Kenzie gave Jillian a reassuring hug before she bolted out the door and toward her car.
********************
The drive to Alley's house seemed to take forever. Kenzie gripped her steering wheel in apprehension, praying that she'd make it to the star's house in time. She wanted to get there before Patrick arrived, as he undoubtedly would, to work on his "big case". Alley could be at his mercy.
As she drove, Kenzie went over the facts in her head. Her first assumption was that Patrick had stolen someone else's identity after Alley had left him (or rather, Galen). But evidence had proven that Patrick was Galen. He'd declared his old self dead, changed his identity, his outward appearance, and basically his life after Alley broke his heart. And for that, unbeknownst to her, she'd pay the price.
At last, she reached Alley's house. She barely cut her car's engine and put it in park before jumping out and racing toward the intercom. She jabbed at it impatiently, waiting for a response.
The buzz rang incessantly, until at last Alley's annoyed voice shrieked, "What?!"
"Ms. Catraz," Kenzie hastened to explain, "I know who sent you those letters and who's responsible for your appearance. Please let me in! You could be in danger!"
"How could you figure out who did this to me, and I hired a PI who didn't figure it out?"
"Because your PI is the one responsible!"
"You're crazy. Get out of here before I call the police."
"I can prove it to you. Patrick is Galen Finch!"
There was silence on the other end of the intercom. For one split second, Kenzie thought Alley believed her and would let her in.
But this was not to be. For Kenzie felt her blood run cold as a familiar voice said behind her, "Let us in, Alley. The three of us need to talk."
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